HammerFallsInGermanCourtAgainstApple'sDataSharingPractices

It was a bad day for Apple yesterday, May 7, 2013, as a German court ruled that the iPhone maker must alter its company policies for handling customer data, since these policies have been shown to violate Germany's privacy laws.
The news first hit the Web via Bloomberg, who reports that:

Apple Inc. (AAPL), already facing a U.S. privacy lawsuit over its information-sharing practices, was told by a German court to change its rules for handling customer data.
A Berlin court struck down eight of 15 provisions in Apple’s general data-use terms because they deviate too much from German laws, a consumer group said in a statement on its website today. The court said Apple can’t ask for “global consent” to use customer data or use information on the locations of customers.

While Apple previously requested "global consent" to use customer data, German law requires that customers know in detail exactly what is being requested. Further to this, Apple may no longer ask for permission to access the names, addresses, and phone numbers of users’ contacts.
Finally, the court also prohibited Apple from supplying such data to companies which use the information for advertising.
We'll keep you posted with further news concerning this story as it becomes available.